Hello, dVerse Poets! Welcome! Today’s prompt is not for poetry, but for prose. We call this dVerse form, prosery.

The rules for prosery are simple:

Your prosery can be flash-fiction or creative non-fiction, but not poetry. It should be no longer than 144 words in total (not including the title). No versification, line breaks, meter, etc). Most importantly, it must include the given poetry line, word for word, within the prose.

You may break the line only to insert or add punctuation, but you cannot change the words in the line or insert words within the prompt line. You cannot break up the prompt line with sentences or paragraphs.

I think it is almost as much of a challenge to choose the prompt lines as it is to respond to them. I try to pick a line that is not too recognizable or too long, and that is poetic without being too flowery or archaic.

This past Saturday (June 3) was June’s full moon. It’s sometimes called the Strawberry moon, and I can attest to how we’ve been enjoying local strawberries in my part of the world. So, I chose a line that includes the moon.

The prompt line is:

“An early moon is just a piece of change
in the softening sky. “

— James Masao Mitsui, “Spring Poem for the Sake of Breathing, Written After a Walk to Foster Island”

I hope you will take the time to read the full poem.
Full poem here.

James Masao Mitsui was born to Japanese immigrant parents in Washington state in 1940. During WWII, after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, many Japanese Americans were forced to relocate, and many were interred in relocation camps. Among them, were Mitsui and his family. They were later permitted to return to Washington, but internment, relocation, and immigration are common themes in his poems. For example, see this one.

Here’s how to take part in the Prosery Prompt:

• Write a piece of flash fiction or other prose up of up to or exactly 144 words, including the given line from the poem.
• Post your Prosery piece on your blog and link back to this post.
• Place the link to your actual post (not your blog url) on the Mister Linky page.
• Don’t forget to check the little box to accept use/privacy policy.
• Please visit other blogs and comment on their posts.